Collapsible boat



2 Sheets-Sheet l YQJAM NEYS Hofe/2g J Ha/720m,

July 22, 1941. F. J. HARMAN COLLAPSIBLE BOAT Filed April 16, 1940 July 22, 1941- F. J. HARMAN 2,250,127

COLLAPSIBLE BOAT Filed April 16. '1940 2 Shleets--SheeI 2 ya @395x T NEYS Patented July 22, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLLAPSIBLE BOAT Florence J. Harmamulfalo, N. Y.

Application April 16, 1940, Serial No. 329,932

12 Claims.

My invention relates to that type of boat which is capable of being collapsed to form a compact bundle which c-an be easily carried by one person and which occupies a very small space so that it may be conveniently stowed away in, for instance, a motor car for transportation.

The principal object of my invention has b-een to provide a boat of this nature which may be collapsed in the least number of pieces, all of the pieces making a bundle which can be easily and conveniently handled by one person.

Another object has been to provide a collapsible boat which may be easily and quickly assembled and -disassembled by one person.

Another object has been to provide a boat having a floor board so designed that when put in place the flexible bottom of the boat will be stretched to its predetermined dimensions.

Moreover, suitable locking means are provided for the floor board of my device.

Furthermore, my invention is provided with a number of seats, each of which has a foldable strut member so arranged that it will be automatically moved to its locking position when the seat is fastened in place.

Another object has been to provide solid, jointed sides, each member thereof being permanent-v ly hinged to adjacent members.

A further object has been to provide means for reinforcing the joints in the sides, thereby making each side substantially uniformly resilient so that it may be properly bowed from stem to stern when assembling.

Moreover, it is an object of my invention to provide a canvas or waterproof body or casing, permanently fastened to some parts of the structure and so designed as to be easily and quickly stretched around all the boat parts, thereby enclosing them in w-atertight manner.

The above objects and advantages have been accomplished by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, of which Fig. 1 shows a plan view of my complete boat.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, side, sectional elevation taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, transverse, sectional View taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, plan view showing the reinforcing members lat the sides, taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, perspective view showing the stern of the boat and the means for fastening the si-des thereto.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, section-al, plan view of the bow construction and is taken on line 5-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. '7 is a similar View of a modied form of bow construction.

My .boat comprises sides Il) and II over which a canvas body I2 is stretched after the parts of the boat have been assembled and which is secured in place by means to be hereinafter described. The sides I0 and II each comprise a bow section I3, a midship section I4 anda stern section I5. These sections are connected together by means oi suitable hinges I6 arranged at the joints and located on the outside of the sections so that `when the sections are being collapsed, they may be folded into a unit of relatively short length. Reinforcing strips I'I are preferably located on the inside surfaces adjacent the edges of the section for providing stiffening surfaces for the hinges. Each of these hinged joints is reinforced by means of a joint reinforcing member 20 extending across the joint and arranged on the outside surfaces of the side sections. Each of these members is slightly tapered, vas shown in Fig. 2, and has its side edges engageable with locking cleats 2I secured to the outside surface of the side portions and on each side of the joint. When these reinforcing members are in place, the sides will be stiffened at the joints and when vthey are bowed in the act of assembling, the desired smooth curvature will be produced therein from the bow end to the stern end thereof.

The stern of my boat preferably comprises a stern board 22 which extends from one side of the boat to the other and, which is provided at each edge with a reinforcing cleat 23. The stern board is secured to Ithe end of each of the sides II) and II preferably by means of angle-shaped clips 24 having one leg 25 secured to the side and the other leg 2S .being formed with a slot V2I for engagement with screws or studs 28 `carried by the cleats 23 of the stern board. When assembling the parts, the slot-s 2 are brought into registering positions with the screws 28 and engaged therewith by a downward movement of .the side in relation to the stern. The stern board may als-o be reinforced by cleats I8, and a stiffening board may be pr-ovided, whereby the stern board will be reinforced when an outboard motor is used. 1

The bottom 30 of my boat is formed by a portion of the canvas I2 as a body part, on top of which is mounted a plurality of interspaced bottom strips 3I which are secured -to the canvas and which extend across the entire bottom of the boat. These strips are of such predetermined lengths as to give the proper shape to the boat when the sides are assembled thereto. Side cleats 32 are provided at the ends of a number of .the bottom strips 3| which not only serve to tie a number ofthe bottom strips together but also provide an abutment for the side members when assembled. These cleats are of such length and lare so interspaced that when the bottom is folded up, as hereinafter described, they will not interfere with the bending'of the canvas.

The canvas I2 is preferably secured along its lateral edge to the outside surface of the stern board 22 by means of a sealing strip 33 and also along the vertical edges of the board by means of sealing strips 33. The canvas is .separable from all parts of my device except the stern board 22 and the bottom strips 3l which are permanently secured thereto, as just described. These parts, together with the canvas, not only make one compact unit but greatly facilitate the assembling and disassembling of my boat.

Extending longitudinally across the bottom of the boat is a floor board 34 which is made of two parts 35 and 35 hinged together at a joint 31 arranged preferably midway the length of the board. This floor board is designed to engage the stern board 22 at its rear end and a locking cleat 40 at its forward end. This cleat is undercut, as shown in Fig. 2, at its edge Vwhich engages with the oor board and the forward end of the part 35 of the floor board is also chamfered to engage the undercut surface of the cleat. The chamfered forward end of this part of the board is indented, thus forming a recess 4l, as shown in Fig. 1, for the reception of the cleat 4U, whereby the board is prevented from lateral movement therewith. The iioor board is so designed that it tightly fits the engaged parts when the canvas is stretched its predetermined amount and this part of the device is assembled in place when the bottom and stern board have been opened out flat. One man can thus properly stretch the canvas owing to the toggle action of the oor board. Extending across the top of the floor board at the joint is a locking ap 39 which is brought to bear on the upper surface of the board when it is in position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and held in vplace by means to be hereinafter described.

Arranged at the bow of the boat is a bow strip 42, shown enlarged in Fig. 6. The bow strip is provided witha recess 43 at each side thereof for bringing the outside surfaces of the sides Il) and H of the boat, when assembled therewith, ush with the forward edge of the strip, and the strip is provided with a heel portion 44 tapered to correspond substantiallyto the angle of the side pieces when secured tothe bow strip. The forward ends of the side pieces I and Il are secured to the bow strip preferably by means of a locking joint including a lock strip 45 secured to the bow strip and having its forward edge in interspaced relation with the bottom of `the groove 43. An engaging lock strip 45 is carried by the forward edge of each of the side pieces and is in interspaced relation therewith, and this strip extends underneath the strip 45, thus interlocking the parts. These parts are assembled by a vertical movement of the bow strip downwardly with relation to the side pieces, the forward movement of the side pieces with the bow strip being prevented by the overhanging portion or shoulder`50 formed by the provision of the recess 43.

My boat is provided with a bow seat l, a midship seat 52, and a stern seat 53. Each of these seats rests upon a seat cleat 54 carried by the sides I0 and Il of the boat and is held in its assembled position by means of a hasp 55, one

portion of which is carried by the side of the boat and the other portion by the seat. A hasp pin 56 is provided for each of the hasps for locking the seat in position. Each seat is provided at its central portion with a downwardly extending strut member 60 which is hinged to the bottom of the seat, as shown in Fig. 3. A lock cable 6I is attached to the lower edge of the strut member of each of the seats, the other end of the cable being passed upwardly through a hole 62 provided in the seat and attached to the hasp pin 56 at that side of the seat. Each of the strut members of the bow seat and stern seat y5l and 53, respectively, is of such length that its lower edge will engage the bottom strips of the boat, and the strut member of the midship seat 521s of such length that its lower edge will engagewith the lock ap 39, the strut members of the rst two seats serving lto make the structure very rigid and the strut member of the midship seat acting to lock the locking flap in its assembled position. Each of the cables 5I is of' such a length that when the hasp pin 56 thereof is engaged with the hasp, the cable will have pulled the strut member to its locking position, thus making sure that each strut member is in its locked position before the boat is used.

The canvas I2 of my boat, after the parts have been assembled as just indicated, is drawn up into shape around the sides. A cord 63 is used to fasten the canvas in place and it passes through suitable grommets 64 spaced at suitable intervals. The cord is permanently threaded through the grommets so that it provides a fixed part of the canvas. Loops which are formed in the cord between the grommets are passed over cleats 61 provided on the inside of the sides li) and Il. Obviously, the cord is looped over each of the cleats and then drawn taut before the next cleat is engaged. The canvas at the bow of the boat is folded upon itself and suitably fastened in place by the free ends or loop of the cord 63.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that the side members Il] and Il, after the joint reinforcing members 20 are removed, may be folded into a unit substantially one-third the total length of the boat. The seats of course may be compactly placed together after the strut members 60 have been folded up, while the bottom with its canvas and bottom strips forms :another complete separate unit. The floor board and the locking flap may also be folded up to form a unit and the bow strip may be rolled up in the canvas if desired.

When my boat is to be assembled, the canvas bottom is unrolled and the stern board 22 is moved to upright position. The floor board 34 is now engaged with the stern board and the abutment 4U, and pushed into place 'against the bottom strips 3|. This stretches thecanvas to the proper length, whereupon the locking flap 39 is placed in position over the joint of the floor board. Each of the sides I0 and Il is then unfolded to its complete length and the joint reinforcing members 20 are put in place. The stern ends of the sides are now engaged with the stern board, as hereinbefore described. Just as soon as the stern board is engaged, the operator starts lac- Ying the cord 63 around the cleats 6l, thereby drawing the sides inwardly against the side cleats 32. Thelacing is continued until the bow end of the boatis reached, by which time the bow ends of the sides will have been drawn together ksuiciently so that the bowstrip may be engaged therewith. The canvas body is then folded upon itself around the bow oftheboat and suitably fastenedrby the cord.

The seats are then put in place and the strut members thereof drawn to their locking positions by the cable attached to each. The boat is then completedzand ready for use. Oars (not shown) may then be engaged with the oar locks 1G car'- ried by thesides. Obviously, the disassembling is `accomplished in substantially reverse manner.

In the modined form of invention shown in Fig. '7, the bow strip 65 is provided with rearwardly facingv recesses B for engagement with the forward ends 'It and 'll of the sides of the boat. Suitable hooks I3 carried by the sides are engageable with eyelets 14 carried by the strip, whereby the strip is held in place after being assembled.

Obviously. some modications of the details herein shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims, and I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the exact embodiment herein shown and described, the form shown being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: v

1. A collapsible boat, comprising -a canvas body, a stern board permanently-secured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, a bow strip, side members detachably secured to said stern board and to said bow strip, abutment means carried by that portion of the body which extends over the bottom of the boat, toggle means engageable with said abutments for stretching said body when assembling, and means for drawing the canvas body around the assembled parts.

2. A collapsible boat, comprising a canvas body, a stern board permanently secured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, a bow strip, side members detachably secured to said stern board and to said bow strip, abutment means carried by that portion of the body which extends over the bottom of the boat, a hinged iioor board extending longitudinally across the bottom of the boat and engageable with said abutment means for stretching the canvas body of the boat, and means for drawing the canvas body tightly around the assembled parts.

3. A collapsible boat, comprising a convas body,

a stern board permanently secured to said body,

a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, a bow strip, side members detachably secured to said stern board and to said bow strip, a hinged iioor board, a locking cleat permanently secured to said bottom strips, said floor board engaging said stern board and said locking cleat to stretch said canvas body, and means for drawing said canvas body tightly around the assembled parts.

4. A collapsible boat, comprising substantially rigid side members, each including la plurality of sections, hinges arranged on the outside of said sections at the joints therebetween, cleats arranged on the outside of said sections and located one at each side of each of said joints, a reinforcing member detachably engaging each pair of said cleats to lock the hinged joints `of the sections against collapse, a stern board detachably secured to said side members, a bow strip detachably securing said side members together at their bow ends, a canvas body capable of being shaped around the boat structure when assembled, said body being secured to said stern board and extending up on the outside'surfaces of said sideA members, and means for drawing said canvas body tightly aroundfthe assembled parts.

5. A collapsible boat, comprising substantially rigid sideV members, a stern board detachably secured to said side members, a bow strip detachably securing said side members together at their bow ends, a canvas body capable of being shaped around the boat structure when assembled, said body being secured to said stern board and extending up on the outside surfaces of said side members, means for reinforcing said canvas body over the bottom of the boat, abutment means carried by that portion of the canvas body which extends over the bottom of the boat, a hinged iioor board extending longitudinally over the bottom reinforcing means and engaging said abutment means for stretching said canvas body, and means for drawing said canvas body tightly around the assembled parts.

6. A collapsible boat, comprising a canvas body, a stern board permanently secured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, a bow strip, side members detachably secured to said stern board and to said bow strip, a hinged iioor board, a locking cleat permanently secured to said bottom strips, said oor board engaging said stern board and said locking cleat to stretch said canvas body, a seat extending laterally of the boat and being detachably secured to said side members, a strut member hingedly secured to the bottom of said seat and engageable with said floor board to hold said oor board in its extended'position, means for drawing said strut member to its locking position, and a cord permanently engaged with said canvas body and detachably engaged with said side members.

7. A collapsible boat, comprising a canvas body, a stern board permanently secured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, a bow strip, side members detachably secured to said stern board and to said bow strip, a hinged iioor board, a locking cleat permanently secured to said bottom strips, said floor board engaging with said stern board and said locking cleat to stretch said canvas body, a bow seat, a midship seat, and a stern seat, said seats extending laterally of the boat and having means for detachably securing them to said side members, said midship seat having a strut member hingedly secured to the underside thereof and engageable when in position with said floor board, said bow and stern seats each being provided with a strut member engageable when in position with said iioor board, means carried by each of said strut members for drawing and holding them in their extended positions, and means for drawing said canvastightly around the assembled parts.

8. A collapsible boat, comprising a canvas body, a stern board permanently secured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, a bow strip, side members detachably secured to said stern board and to said bow strip, a hinged floor board, a locking cleat permanently secured to said bottom strips, said floor board engaging with said stern board and said locking cleat to stretch said canvasbody, a bow seat, a midship seat, and a stern seat, said seats extending laterally of the boat, hasp means for detachably securing said seats to Vsaid side members, a pin engaging each of said Vhasps for locking the seat in place, said midship seat having a strut member hingedly secured to the underside thereof and engageable when in position with said iloor board, said bow and stern seats each being provided with a strut member engageable when in position with said floor board, cable means slidably carried by each seat and having one end attached to the strut member and the other end to the hasp pin for drawing the strut member to its extended position before the pin can be inserted in the hasp, and means for drawing said canvas tightly around the assembled parts.

9. A collapsible boat, comprising a canvas body, a stern board permanently secured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, side members, side cleats arranged along each edge of the body and secured to interspaced groups of bottom strips for engagement with said side members when in position, means for detachably securing said side members to said stern board, a bow strip, means for detachably securing said side members to said bow strip, and means for drawing said canvas tightly around the assembled parts.

10. A collapsible boat, comprising a canvas body, a stern board permanently ysecured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, a bow strip, side members detachably secured to said stern board and to said bow strip, abutment means carried by that portion of the body which extends over the bottom of the boat, a hinged floor board extending longitudinally across the bottom oi the boat and engageable with the bottom strips for stretching the canvas body of the boat, a locking iiap hingedly secured to one of the parts of the floor board and extending over the hinged joint of said board, and means for drawing the canvas body tightly around the assembled parts.

11. A collapsible boat, comprising a canvas body, a stern board permanently secured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, a bow strip, side members detachably secured to said stern board and to said bow strip, a hinged oor board, a locking cleat permanently secured to said bottom strips, said floor board engaging said stern board and said locking cleat to stretch said canvas body, a locking flap hingedly secured to one of the parts of the oor board and extending over the hinged joint of said board, a seat extending laterally of the boat and being detachably secured to said side members, a strut member hingedly secured to the bottom of said seat and engageable with said floor board to hold said floor board in its extended position, means for drawing said strut member to its locking position, and a cord permanently engaged with said canvas body and de tachably engaged with said side members.

12. A collapsible boat, comprising a canvas body, a stern board permanently secured to said body, a plurality of transverse bottom strips permanently secured to said body, side members, means for detachably securing said side members to said ern board, comprising angle-shaped clips secured to said side members and each formed with a slot engageable with means carried by the stern board, a bow strip, means for detachably securing said side members to said bow strip, comprising interengaging locking strips carried by said side members and said bow strip for engagement with said members by longitudinal movement of said bow strip, and means for drazving said canvas tightly around the assembled par s.

FLORENCE J. HARMAN. 

